And yet he might.
Was it a crime to drive with a young girl of stainless reputation under her mother's oversight?
No.

I had done nothing wrong, except to say that I was going to Komptendorf--and that offence concerned only Dr.Boltze, to whom I had made the false statement.
At last I fell asleep, until the wheels rattled on the pavement of the city streets.

Was my dream concerning the swan to be fulfilled?
I entered the house early.

Dr.Boltze was waiting for me, and his wife's troubled face betrayed what had happened even more plainly than her husband's frown.
The French teacher had instantly informed my tutor where and with whom he had met me, and urged him to ascertain whether I had really gone to Komptendorf.

Then he went to Clara's former residence, questioned the landlady and her servant, and finally interrogated the livery-stable keeper.
The mass of evidence thus gathered proved that I had paid the actress numerous visits, and always at dusk.